Have a 2004 I35 in my driveway, dealer let me take it home for the night. The car has 49K miles and seems to move like a champ. To make a long story short..found it online at a local toyota dealer as a trade in. Unbelievable condition in the cabin, interior seats..dash...all features / functions working flawlessly! I'm bringing it back tomorrow with my decision, the are asking 8900 for it AND I'm in the market for a used car ( obviously). Anything I'm missing? What should I look out for?
I have the carfax, nothing out of the ordinary. From what I've seen the I35 doesn't hold value like a similar 2004 Lexus, E330 as an example. The car is really pristine but amI missing something?
Thanks all!
Just found a low mileage I35
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jethro5414
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 7:15 pm
- Car: 2004 I35
49000 Mi
Re: Just found a low mileage I35
Have you already sealed the deal?
Service histories usually prepare you for future expenses, even some piece of mind. You don't usually get a lot of major issues at that mileage, but like many transversely mounted VQ35s of the era, the timing chain might start to rattle before 100K miles. This usually comes with oil consumption. Not a big deal in itself, but it's an annoyance in any car, and you might spend way more on oil than you have to. My oldest one went to 250K miles with regular top ups.
That being said, they seemed like good value for the money, sometimes even cheaper than the maximas but just as good performance. Comfortable ergonomics and available heated seats, heated steering wheel and navigation. Plus decent gas mileage and a very good Bose system for a stock car.
Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't buy it. $9,000 could get you something better and less finicky.
Service histories usually prepare you for future expenses, even some piece of mind. You don't usually get a lot of major issues at that mileage, but like many transversely mounted VQ35s of the era, the timing chain might start to rattle before 100K miles. This usually comes with oil consumption. Not a big deal in itself, but it's an annoyance in any car, and you might spend way more on oil than you have to. My oldest one went to 250K miles with regular top ups.
That being said, they seemed like good value for the money, sometimes even cheaper than the maximas but just as good performance. Comfortable ergonomics and available heated seats, heated steering wheel and navigation. Plus decent gas mileage and a very good Bose system for a stock car.
Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't buy it. $9,000 could get you something better and less finicky.
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jethro5414
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 7:15 pm
- Car: 2004 I35
49000 Mi
Re: Just found a low mileage I35
I did seal the deal...the under 10K market for used cars is kind of messy right now and quite honestly I'm tired of looking :-). I appreciate the feedback, all things considered I didn't break the bank. Now that I pulled the trigger I'll need to get some advice on preventative maint, will start by looking at the newby thread.